


Captain of Her Heart

by esteven



Category: Master and Commander - Patrick O'Brian
Genre: Gen, Reverse of the Medal, Spoilers
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2011-10-30
Updated: 2011-10-30
Packaged: 2017-10-25 02:29:15
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 736
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/270730
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/esteven/pseuds/esteven
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p><i>Surprise</i> waits for her captain</p>
            </blockquote>





	Captain of Her Heart

They had prettied her up before her officers were posted to other ships and crew had been disbanded. She had been as proud of them, as they had been of her. The men had called her _Joyful Surprise_. Her surgeon –or physician as he described himself- had once proclaimed her _the beauty of the world_. For her captain she had been the sweetest sailor on a bowline, a fine seabird, weatherly and dry. He had said so more than once and always defended her against anyone who had dared call her old. No captain had understood her little ways better than John Aubrey. Even after she had been towed away for her last voyage, she could still feel his grip on the rope-ladder and that short gentle touch on her side when he had disembarked.

  
_It was way past midnight  
And she still couldn't fall asleep  
This night the dream was leavin'  
She tried so hard to keep  
And with the new day's dawning  
She felt it drift away  
Not only for a cruise  
Not only for a day_   


At first she chatted with the other ships that waited –like her- in the waters off Portsmouth. They told her that if she was lucky, someone would buy her for their own uses. If not, it would be the breaker’s yard. After some time she went quiet because her officers and company were never to return.

  
_As the day came up she made a start  
She stopped waiting another day for  
The captain of her heart_   


Decades ago she had been built in a French dockyard, had been taken as a prize and sold into the navy. Once she had gone into action under Captain Hamilton to help cut out an English ship near Puerto-Cabello. She still felt vaguely guilty going against one of their own, because it had not been _Hermione’s_ fault that her crew had mutinied against Captain Pigot and her officers. Yet, her sense of duty had been strong.

She remembered how off Bridgetown Aubrey had raced her _towards near destruction under a great spread of canvas, put her helm alee, hauled on an unseen spring leading from her larboard cathead to the towline. She had spun about like a cutter_. Never before had she felt so attuned to a human

She dozed on the waves until one morning several men in greasy clothes–with greedy expressions, but all of them with grubby touches- had boarded her. Most of them were merchants who had only use for some of her parts; some looked at the sheets and cordage, some at her sails, some inspected her cannons. They were evaluating like an old mare, only good for the knacker’s. She had been put on auction and wanted the situation over and done with.

Two more men came aboard and they sounded familiar. She perked up when she recognized their voices: Captain Pullings, her favourite premier and Dr Maturin, her surgeon these many a year. Maybe it would not be the breaker’s yard for her?

Pullings and Maturin had sounded worried. She had strained her whole structure to catch snippets of their conversation. They had talked of a trial and it seemed that her former captain had been dismissed the service. His friends wanted to buy her for him. Her masts almost trembled with relief when Dr Maturin’s bid for her was awarded and she realized that she would serve John Aubrey again.

Some days after, she was moored in the little harbour of Shelmerston. Her captain’s cox’n and many seamen had come aboard to repair and paint her, to make her look like straight from a wonderfully efficient dock yard. Each day she awoke to the sound of shouted orders, to the feel of feet running or walking her planks. Impatiently she tried to stretch her masts just that bit higher every morning so she would see her captain before everybody else. Yet, days came and went without a sign from him.

  
_Too long ago  
Too long apart  
She couldn't wait another day for  
The captain of her heart_   


She was taken by surprise when she finally…finally felt a familiar weight on the steps of her ladder and a familiar touch on her railing. Her Aubrey had arrived. He looked stern and sad, as if his thoughts were far away. She would be doing everything to make him happy again.

Her wait was over.

**Author's Note:**

> The lyrics are from the song "Captain of Her Heart" by Yello


End file.
